A little about the characteristic properties of the Chechen ethnic group. Notes of Alexei Petrovich Ermolov during the administration of Georgia. How General Ermolov weaned the Chechens from selling hostages.

“Downstream of the Terek live the Chechens, the most evil of the robbers who attack the line. Their society is very sparsely populated, but has increased enormously in the last few years, because the villains of all other peoples who leave their land for some crime were received in a friendly manner. Here they were found accomplices, immediately ready to either avenge them or participate in robberies, and they served as their faithful guides in lands unfamiliar to them.Chechnya can rightly be called the nest of all robbers.

Its management is divided from clan to clan between several families, which are revered by elders. Those with the strongest connections and rich people are more respected.

In public affairs, but more in cases of an acceptable attack or theft, they gather together for advice; but since they all consider themselves equal, a few opposing voices destroy enterprises, even if they could be useful to society, especially if these voices were cast by one of the strong people.

The population in Chechnya, with the addition of the Kachkalyk society, is estimated to be more than 6,000 families. The land does not correspond in space to the number of inhabitants, or is overgrown with impenetrable forests and is insufficient for arable farming, which is why there are many people who do not engage in any labor and earn their livelihood by mere robbery..."

It is absolutely clear why the current Chechens disliked General A.P. Ermolov so much. The general historically noticed and emphasized the inability of this ethno-people to create. And then even the Russians and Cossacks built roads there... not especially for them, of course... the war with Persia began...

How General Ermolov weaned the Chechens from selling hostages.

During the appointment of General Yermolov as governor of the Caucasus, an incident occurred that shook the Chechens’ confidence in the benefits of the hostage trade.

On the road from Khaziyurt to Kizlyar, Major Shvetsov was kidnapped. The Chechens, not understanding the differences between officers, mistook the major for a person of special national importance. And to celebrate, they demanded a ransom from his relatives - ten arb of silver coins. The Russian government simply did not know how to react to such an exorbitant price! And there was nowhere to get this amount from. Then Shvetsov’s colleagues announced a collection of donations throughout the country to ransom him from captivity.

While the Russians were collecting money, Ermolov appeared in the North Caucasus. And the first thing he did was to forbid paying a ransom for Shvetsov.

And instead of paying, he ordered all the Kumyk princes and owners through whose lands the Russian officer was transported to be imprisoned in the fortress, and announced that if they did not find a way to free him, he would hang them all.

The arrested princes immediately agreed to reduce the ransom to 10 thousand rubles.

But Ermolov again refused to pay.

Then, very opportunely, the Avar Khan appeared (at the general’s secret request) and ransomed the prisoner.

The general grasped the peculiarities of the national mentality instantly. If you pay money to the local population, it means you are afraid, you are paying off. And therefore Ermolov called for following the logic of the enemy: “I want my name to guard our borders with fear stronger than chains and fortifications, so that my word will be a law for Asians, or rather, inevitable death.

Condescension in the eyes of an Asian is a sign of weakness, and out of love for humanity I am strict and inexorable. One execution will save hundreds of Russians from death and thousands of Muslims from treason." The general had a habit of backing up his words with deeds. So the kidnapping of high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants was temporarily erased from the list of "profitables."

By the spring of 1818, the headquarters of General Ermolov, proconsul of the Caucasus (then Khloponin) was inundated with reports of bloody atrocities committed by Chechens on Cossack lands. The scale of the raids became more and more threatening; Ermolov’s deputy even ordered the removal of all posts along the Terek, due to their uselessness and the danger of being cut out themselves. The situation was deplorable, the residents of the villages were afraid to leave the gates, they moved between the villages accompanied by a military patrol, once a day, and then only after a preliminary inspection of the road. The Chechens attacked suddenly from wolf ambushes, carried out massacres, stole livestock, grabbed women and children, destroyed and burned villages. This state of affairs required certain decisions and actions, and they did not take long to arrive. Ermolov decided to act tough; he understood that the so-called “peaceful Chechens” living in the nearest villages near Terek were the main suppliers of information about the movements of Russian troops. It was in these “peaceful” villages that the robbers set up their bases, prepared for raids, and brought loot and prisoners here. Having reported to the top about the state of affairs and the bloody attacks being carried out, having approved his plan of “pacification” with Emperor Alexander I, the proconsul began to act. Strict demands were made on the residents of the villages; in particular, in the appeals to the Chechens it was said: “In case of theft, the villages are obliged to extradite the thief. If the thief escapes, hand over his family. If the village residents give the criminal’s family the opportunity to escape, then they are obliged to hand over his closest relatives. If your relatives are not handed over, your villages will be destroyed and burned, your families will be sold to the mountains, your prisoners will be hanged.” The proconsul also summoned the elders of the villages and announced to them that if even one detachment of bandit animals was allowed through their lands, the entire population of their villages would be driven into the mountains, where they would be destroyed by pestilence and famine, all those taken prisoner would be hanged: “Better from the Terek to the Sunzha I will leave the scorched, deserted steppes, rather than suffer robberies and robberies in the rear of Russian fortifications. Choose either - submission or terrible extermination,” the general told them in conclusion. Then, following the planned plan, the troops were transported across the Terek and on June 10, 1818, a six-bastion citadel was solemnly founded, which received the telling name Grozny. The next goal of the Yermolov pacification plan was to clear the territory adjacent to the Terek from hostile population. Knowing the mentality of the locals, the proconsul understood that peaceful evacuation would not work; this could only be achieved by force “by example of horror.” To carry out a demonstrative punitive action, the village of Dady-Yurt, a gangster den of all the surrounding abreks, was chosen. On September 15, 1819, at dawn, Russian troops under the command of the marching ataman General Sysoev settled down near Dada-yurt. The chieftain's detachment consisted of 5 companies of Kabardian infantrymen, a company of the Trinity Regiment, 700 Cossacks and five guns. The residents of the village were presented with an ultimatum; they were asked to voluntarily leave the village and go after Sunzha. But the residents, considering the ultimatum an empty threat, rejected it and prepared to defend the village. A desperate, bloody battle began, one of the first brutal battles of Russian troops in the Caucasus. Each yard in the village was surrounded by a stone fence, which had to be shot from cannons, dragging the guns by hand to each house under hurricane fire from the Chechens, who were shooting almost point-blank. Soldiers rushed into the gaps made by the cannons and a brutal and bloody hand-to-hand fight began. The soldiers had nowhere to retreat; the Chechens fought for their families. Desperate bitterness grew with every second of the bloody battle, but the pressure of the Russian army could not be stopped. The Chechens, realizing that they could not defend the village, stabbed their wives and children to death in front of the attackers and rushed into battle. Losses on both sides quickly grew, and dismounted Cossacks entered the battle. The assault on the village lasted several hours and ended only after the complete extermination of all the defenders of the village. Of the living inhabitants of Dada-Yurt, only 140 women and children and several seriously wounded men remained. The village was burned and completely destroyed by artillery fire. The total losses of the Russian troops amounted to a quarter of their original strength, and General Sysoev himself was wounded. The destruction of Dada-yurt forced the residents of the remaining villages to send their families to the mountains. And the next village, Isti-Su, was taken by Russian troops in just thirty minutes, without much resistance in a bayonet attack. Only in the village mosque did a fierce battle take place with a group of religious fanatics who refused to surrender; all of them were killed in a bayonet fight. Then the villages of Nain-Berdy and Allayar-aul were taken without any problems, but the next village of Khosh-Geldy greeted Yermolov with bread and salt and was forgiven. The remaining villages were abandoned by locals. Robberies and robberies temporarily stopped. Such a cruel attitude of the Russian proconsul towards the Chechen villages led to an explosion of rage and the spread of muridism throughout the North Caucasus. But we must understand that such actions by Ermolov were based not on a barbaric attitude towards the Chechens, but on the bitter experience of negotiation processes, placating the mountaineers, which never led to constructive results. Although this practice of bloody cleansing did not produce significant results in establishing good neighborly relations. After the resignation of Proconsul Ermolov, his successors tried many more techniques, methods and means to establish peace in the Caucasus. But even non-supporters of Yermolov’s methods had to turn to them again and again, using the general’s legacy to pacify the wild mountaineers.

Portrait of A.P. Ermolov. Hood. D. Doe. 1825

Ermolov Alexey Petrovich - Russian general, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, one of the most famous Russian military leaders. This is a very popular and famous person of his time.

He was born in 1777, in the family of a poor landowner, in the Oryol province. Mother is the aunt of known partisan Denis Davydov. Alexey Petrovich received his education at Moscow University.

In 1794 his military career began. Soon Alexey received his first award - the Order of George, 4th degree, from the hands of Suvorov himself. Paul I ascended the throne, and Ermolov’s career was cut short. Based on a false report, he was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

After some time, the emperor said that he forgives the prisoner. Alexey will ask why he forgives him, and why he put him in prison? The ambitious Paul I could not tolerate such insolence and sent Ermolov to Kostroma, into exile. After the death of Paul, the disgraced warrior returned to service. Alexey is given command of a horse artillery company.

In 1805, his company became part of the army of Mikhail Kutuzov, who highly appreciated the actions of Ermolov and his soldiers in foreign campaigns. The Yermolovites were distinguished by their courage and masculinity. But, despite his successes, Alexey Angdreevich received neither titles nor awards. Difficult relations with Arakcheev took their toll.

In the battles near Austerlitz, Ermolov still earned the rank of colonel in the Russian army. He performs well in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army. In the battles of Peterswald, Gudstadt, Heilsberg and Friedland, Alexey was in the very center of the fighting. He was wounded but survived. For his fearlessness he was nominated to several orders. But he never received the rank of major general, which the young officer so strived for. Again, difficulties in relations with Arakcheev affected.

Ermolov asks to resign, but Emperor Alexander I himself did not let the young and brave officer leave the army. In 1808, he finally received the rank and was appointed commander of the reserve troops. The young soul of the officer demands the romance of war, and the general asks to be transferred to the Caucasus or Turkey, where there is trouble. My request was refused.

In 1812, he was appointed chief of staff of the 1st Western Army. Ermolov did a lot for the successful formation of the 1st and 2nd Russian armies near Smolensk, and was the organizer of its defense. After the retreat, he fought very successfully with the French at Lubin. When Kutuzov led the army, Ermolov remained idle for some time. At the most crucial moment of the Battle of Borodino, when the left flank of the Russian defense was thinning and the French took the central battery of Russian troops, Kutuzov sent Alexei Petrovich to help. Ermolov quickly assessed the situation and regained our positions in a counterattack. He also showed himself excellently in the battles near Maloyaroslavets, preventing Napoleon from leaving for the grain-producing regions.

In 1813 he commanded the grenadier corps during the capture of Paris. In 1817, he was sent to the Caucasus, where the general concentrated military and civil power in his hands. For many years, Alexey Petrovich Ermolov ruled the Russian Caucasus with a firm and skillful hand. Conducted a number of major military operations in Chechnya, Dagestan, and Kuban. Thanks to him, the following lands were annexed to Russia: Abkhazia, Karabakh and Shirvan khanates. While ruling the Caucasus, he surrounded himself with smart and educated people. Under him, the Caucasian lands began to develop.

A.P. Ermolov: “the sphinx of modern times”

Portrait of A.P. Ermolov. Hood. P. Zakharov-Chechen, ca. 1843

General Ermolov was a complex and contradictory personality. Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov, who served as Yermolov’s adjutant “on the diplomatic side,” called him “the sphinx of modern times,” hinting at the depth and mystery of this personality. Ermolov was a man of strong will and independent views. He did not recognize any authorities, defended his point of view, passionately loved Russia and everything Russian.

Carier start

Ermolov came from an old but poor noble family. As a child, he was raised by a peasant farmer, and later he studied with rich and noble relatives who invited home teachers. Ermolov completed his education at the Noble boarding school at Moscow University.

He gained his first combat experience while participating in the suppression of the Polish uprising in 1794. Then young Ermolov distinguished himself during the storming of the Warsaw suburb of Prague and was noticed by the commander of the Russian troops A.V. Suvorov. By personal order of Suvorov, Ermolov was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.

His military career was very successful. Already in 1798, Ermolov was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed commander of a horse artillery company.

But young Ermolov was not just a military officer. He was also interested in the advanced ideas of European enlightenment that spread to Russia at the end of the 18th century. Ermolov became a member of a political circle led by his brother (on his mother’s side) A.M. Kakhovsky, who had a great influence on him. The circle was engaged in reading banned books, “praising” the French Republic, composing and rewriting satirical poems that ridiculed Paul I. But this circle did not last long and was discovered by Paul’s secret police. A.M. Kakhovsky was arrested, and during a search of his papers, a letter from Ermolov to him was discovered, who spoke harshly about his superiors. The letter was the reason for the arrest and interrogation of Ermolov, who was soon taken to St. Petersburg and put in the dungeon of the Alekseevsky ravelin.

Two months later he was released and sent into exile in Kostroma as a royal “mercy”. Here he met M.I. Platov, who was also in exile, later the famous ataman of the Don Cossacks, a hero of the war of 1812. In exile, Ermolov devoted a lot of time to self-education: he read, studied the Latin language on his own. Ermolov recalled that time “ My stay lasted a year and a half; the inhabitants of the city showed me a generous favor, not finding anything in my characteristics or behavior that revealed a criminal. I returned to studying the Latin language, practiced translating the best authors, and time passed almost unnoticed, almost without darkening my gaiety».

The arrest, dungeon and exile had a strong effect on young Ermolov. According to him, Paul I “taught me a cruel lesson in my early youth.” After this, Ermolov became more cautious and secretive. He wrote about the feelings he experienced at that moment: “ Joy silenced all other feelings in me; I had only one thought: to devote my life to the service of the sovereign, and my zeal could hardly be equaled" Later, he will demonstratively emphasize his loyalty to the regime and disinterest in political affairs.

Ermolov in the campaign of 1806-1807.

During the military campaign of 1806-1807. Ermolov distinguished himself at the Battle of Preussisch-Eylau in February 1807. By bombing from the guns of his horse artillery company, Ermolov stopped the French advance, thereby saving the army. Moreover, he opened fire without any orders, on his own initiative:

« I approached almost under the gunfire and paid all my attention to the road lying at the base of the hill, along which the enemy was trying to march his infantry, because due to the deep snow it was impossible to pass by. Each time I turned it around with grape shots from thirty guns with great damage. In a word, until the end of the battle he did not pass by my battery, and it was already too late to look for a detour, for General Lestocq, having met moderate forces, overthrew them, bypassed the heights and batteries, which the enemy, leaving in his power, indulged in complete flight, and the gloomy night covered the battlefield. The commander-in-chief, wanting to see the actions of General Lestocq closer, was on the left flank and was surprised to find all the horses, all the limbers and not a single gun from my company; Having learned about the reason, I was extremely pleased».

Patriotic War

On July 1, 1812, Ermolov was appointed chief of staff of the 1st Western Army, commanded by Minister of War M.B. Barclay de Tolly. From that time on, Ermolov was a direct participant in all more or less major battles and battles of the Patriotic War of 1812, both during the offensive of the French army and during its expulsion from Russia. He especially distinguished himself in the battles of Vitebsk, Smolensk, Borodino, Maloyaroslavets, Krasny, and Berezina. After the Battle of Smolensk on August 7, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.

Ermolov described the battle near Vitebsk, as a result of which the Russian army retreated: “ My eyes did not take their eyes off the avant-garde and the glorious Count Palen. The retreating army, entrusting its peace to him, could not protect him with forces commensurate with the enemy, but nothing could shake his courage! I will say with Horace: “If the universe is destroyed, it will bury him undaunted in its ruins.” Until the fifth hour the battle continued with equal tenacity, and the rearguard retreated to the other side of the city, leaving the enemy surprised by the order, and the city was occupied by them not until the next morning with great caution.».

Ermolov played a major role in organizing the connection of the 1st and 2nd Western armies near Smolensk. He recalled this important event for the course of the military campaign: “ Finally, the 2nd Army arrived at Smolensk; connection completed! Thanks to you, famous Davout, who has served Russia so well! The joy of both armies was the only similarity between them. The First Army, tired of the retreat, began to grumble and allowed unrest, signs of a breakdown in discipline. Private bosses lost interest in the chief, lower ranks hesitated in trusting him. The second army appeared in a completely different spirit! The sound of incessant music, the noise of incessant songs enlivened the vigor of the warriors. The appearance of hard work has disappeared; one can see the pride of overcoming dangers and the readiness to overcome new ones. The boss is a friend of his subordinates, they are his loyal employees!»

With the arrival of M.I. to the united army on August 17. Kutuzov Ermolov becomes his chief of staff. He held this position until the expulsion of the French from Russia, and in addition to his “staff” work during the counter-offensive of the Russian army, he commanded its vanguard.

During the Battle of Borodino, General Ermolov showed outstanding courage during a counterattack on the Raevsky battery occupied by the French: “ Approaching the 2nd Army, I saw its right wing on a hill, which was part of General Raevsky’s corps. It was covered in smoke and the troops guarding it were scattered. Many of us knew and it was all too obvious that this important point, in the opinion of General Benningsen, could not be left in the hands of the enemy without suffering the most disastrous consequences... Despite the steepness of the sunrise, I ordered the Jaeger regiments and the 3rd battalion of the Ufa Regiment to attack with bayonets, favorite weapon of the Russian soldier. The fierce and terrible battle did not last more than half an hour: desperate resistance was met, the high ground was taken away, the guns were returned, and not a single rifle shot was heard. Wounded by bayonets, one might say removed from the bayonets, the intrepid Brigadier General Bonamy received mercy; There were no prisoners, and only a few escaped from the entire brigade. The general's gratitude for the respect shown him was perfect. The damage from our side is very great and far disproportionate to the number of attacking battalions».

Alexey Ermolov's counterattack on the captured Raevsky battery during the Battle of Borodino.

Chromolithograph A. Safonova. Early 20th century

During the council in Fili, Ermolov advocated giving battle at the walls of Moscow: “ I, as an officer who was not yet well known, fearing the accusations of my compatriots, did not dare to agree to abandon Moscow and, without defending my opinion, which was not at all founded, proposed to attack the enemy. Nine hundred miles of continuous retreat do not dispose him to expect such a thing from our enterprise; that this suddenness, when his troops go into a defensive state, will undoubtedly create great confusion between them, which His Lordship, as a skillful commander, is supposed to take advantage of, and that this can produce a big turn in our affairs. With displeasure, Prince Kutuzov told me that I was giving such an opinion because the responsibility did not lie with me.».

After the end of the War of 1812 and at the very beginning of A.P.’s campaign abroad. Ermolov was put in charge of all the artillery of the Russian army. In the campaign of 1813 he took part in the battles of Dresden, Lutzen, Bautzen, Leipzig, and Kulm. There is a story that after the Kulma victory over the French troops, in which Ermolov especially distinguished himself, Alexander I asked him what reward he wanted. The sharp-tongued Ermolov, knowing the tsar’s love for foreigners in Russian service, replied: “Promote me as a German, sir!” This phrase was then repeated with delight by patriotic youth.

General of Infantry (1772-1861); came from an old but poor noble family of the Oryol province; Even in his youth he was enlisted in the Life Guards. Preobrazhensky Regiment. Ermolov subsequently supplemented the home education he received with great erudition. He began his combat career in artillery, under the command of Suvorov. In 1798, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he suddenly fell into disgrace [from the eccentric Emperor Paul], was imprisoned in a fortress, and then exiled to live in the Kostroma province, where he took advantage of his free time to thoroughly study the Latin language. With the accession of Emperor Alexander I, Ermolov was again recruited and took an active part in the campaigns of 1805-07. As the chief of staff of Barclay de Tolly's army, he especially distinguished himself in the Battle of Borodino, where he snatched Raevsky's battery from the hands of his opponents, which they had already taken. In 1813 and 1814 commanded various detachments.

In 1817, Ermolov was appointed commander-in-chief in Georgia and commander of a separate Caucasian corps. The plan of action in the Caucasus that he presented to Alexander I was approved, and from 1818 a series of military operations by Ermolov began in Chechnya, Dagestan and the Kuban, accompanied by the construction of new fortresses (Groznaya, Sudden, Burnaya) and which brought great fear to the highlanders. He suppressed the unrest that arose in Imereti, Guria, and Mingrelia, and annexed Abkhazia, the Karabagh and Shirvan khanates to the Russian possessions. The civil administration of the region discovered in Ermolov outstanding abilities as an administrator and statesman: the welfare of the region increased by encouraging trade and industry; the Caucasian line was moved to a more convenient and healthy area; medical institutions were organized at local mineral waters; the Georgian Military Road has been significantly improved; Gifted and educated people were recruited to serve in the Caucasus.

In 1826, a turning point occurred in the life and service of Ermolov. Although he, concerned about the strengthening of the Persians on our borders, repeatedly and urgently demanded the sending of new troops to the Caucasus, his fears were not given faith, and therefore, with the sudden invasion of the hordes of Abbas-Mirza and the resulting rebellion of the Mohammedan population, our small troops found themselves in difficult situation and could not act with the desired success. Unsatisfactory news from Transcaucasia aroused the displeasure of Emperor Nicholas against Ermolov; Adjutant General Paskevich was sent to Georgia, as if to help Ermolov, who was instructed to personally report everything to the emperor. This gave rise to discontent between both generals, which Dibich, who was sent for this purpose, could not stop. In March 1827, Ermolov asked for dismissal from service, left the Caucasus and finally retired from business, although a few years later he received the title of member of the State Council. The last years of his life he lived partly on his Oryol estate, partly in Moscow, where he enjoyed special honor and respect. During the war of 1853-56. Muscovites elected him chief of the militia of their province; but this title was only honorary, since the elderly Ermolov was no longer capable of military activity.

Wed. Ermolov's notes: "Materials for the Patriotic War of 1812", M., 1864; "Russian Antiquity" and "Russian Archive" of different years.

Encyclopedia Brockhaus-Efron

Humble yourself, Caucasus: Ermolov is coming!

Caucasian tribes. “Peaceful” and “non-peaceful” highlanders. Brutal attacks of the mountaineers on the Russian population. Tikhovsky's battle with the Circassians at the Olginsky cordon. Ataman Bursak. War with the Persians 1804-1813. The defeat of Abbas-Mirza by General Kotlyarevsky. Arrival of Ermolov in the Caucasus. Ermolov's tactics. Russian fortresses, road construction. Foundation of Grozny (Grozny) (1818). Ermolov and soldiers. Further settlement of Russians in the Caucasus. Russian heroes of the Caucasian war. General Madatov. General Maxim Vlasov. Kazi-Muhammad and Muridism. Founding of Maykop. Massacre in Gerzel-aul. Pushkin about Ermolov. Feedback from Ermolov from the Caucasus

When we read about the battles with Napoleon, we must remember that at the same time another war was not subsiding. The world press has not yet made noise about it, it has not been discussed in high society salons. But the battles were no less brutal, the feats were no less heroic, the wounds were no less painful, and the dead were mourned in the villages no less bitterly. This war rumbled in the reed thickets of the Kuban, on the rifts of the Terek, in mountain gorges and impenetrable forests.

The vast massif of the Caucasus was inhabited by many tribes and peoples. In the western part lived the Shapsugs, Bzhedugs, Natukhaevtsy, Khatukaevtsy, Abadzekhs, Ubykhs, Temirgoyevtsy, Egerukayevtsy, Makhoshevtsy, Besleneevtsy, Abadzin (these tribes were collectively called “Circassians”). The central part of the ridge was inhabited by Karachais, Kabardins, Balkars, and Ossetians. In the east - Karabulakhs, Chechens, Ingush, Kumyks, Dargins, Laks, Avars, Tabasarans, Lezgins. Not everyone was an enemy of Russia. The Ossetians held its side, which is why the opponents were never able to form a united front, and two sections of the line stood out - Western and Eastern. However, other peoples also lived fragmentedly, some remained “peaceful”, others “non-peaceful” (but yesterday’s “peaceful” very easily turned into “non-peaceful”). In Dagestan, Shamkhal Tarkovsky acted as a Russian ally, and hostile forces were grouped around Kazikumukh’s Surkhai Khan. Other places had their own leaders, in Chechnya - Beybulat, in Kabarda - Dzhembulat, in Kuban - Kazbich.

And the situation got worse. In 1802, the tsar noted in his rescript: “To my great displeasure, I see that the predation of the mountain peoples is greatly intensifying and compared to previous times, there are incomparably more of them.” The Caucasian governorship was restored. The governor was also the commander-in-chief of the Separate Caucasian Corps. The second person in the local hierarchy was the commander of the troops of the Caucasian line. And General Knorring reported to the sovereign: “Since my service as inspector of the Caucasian line, I have been most concerned with predatory robberies, villainous robberies and kidnappings...”.

In 1804, when the war with the Persians began, the highlanders became more active. There were serious battles with the Chechens and Kabardians on the Chegem, Malka, and Baksan rivers. Only through the incredible efforts of the Cossacks and soldiers was it possible to clear the Georgian Military Road in order to bring reinforcements to Transcaucasia. In 1806, in response to the raids, the commander of the Caucasian line G.I. Glazenap undertook a campaign in Dagestan, defeated and expelled Surkhai, and Derbent was taken by storm. In 1807, the regiments of generals Bulgakov and Likhachev with Terek Cossacks raided Chechnya. But the attacks did not stop. And the reports preserved for us meager lines about the tragedies of that time. In the village of Bogoyavlenskoye, more than 30 civilians were slaughtered... 200 people were driven away from the village of Vorovskolesskaya into the mountains... Kamennobrodskoye was destroyed, 100 people were slaughtered by the Chechens in the church, 350 were driven into slavery... And in the Kuban, the Circassians rampaged. The Black Sea people who moved here lived extremely poorly, but still, every winter, the mountaineers crossed the Kuban across the ice, robbed the latter, killed, and took them captive. Only mutual assistance saved us. At the first signal of danger, a shot, the cry of a galloping messenger, all the combat-ready Cossacks dropped what they were doing, grabbed their weapons and rushed to where the worst was.

On January 18, 1810, the Cossacks discovered large forces of Circassians at the Olginsky cordon. There were 150 Black Sea troops at the cordon, led by the commander of the 4th cavalry regiment, Lev Lukyanovich Tikhovsky. He ordered the signal “figure” to be set on fire and sent a hundred of the mediocre cornet Grigory Zhirovsky to the crossing across the Kuban. She faced 8 thousand highlanders. The Circassians on foot entered the battle, and the cavalry avalanche bypassed the Cossacks and rushed north. The gangs plundered farms, blocked the Olginsky and Slavyansky cordons, and attacked Steblievskaya and Ivanovskaya. At the alarm signal, Yesaul Gadzhanov came out from the Novoekaterinovsky cordon with fifty Cossacks to help Tikhovsky and broke through to the besieged. And Tikhovsky, together with help, moved to the crossing, where Zhirovsky’s hundred were fighting. Here they were surrounded by Circassians. We fought for 4 hours, besieging the enemies with rifles and a single cannon, and waited for help. But the first to arrive were the highlanders, repulsed from Steblievskaya and Ivanovskaya. When the Black Sea soldiers ran out of ammunition, the twice wounded Tikhovsky commanded: “Boys! To the army! If!" And he led the Cossacks into hand-to-hand combat. Only Gadzhanov and 17 Cossacks made it through - all wounded, most soon died. Late reinforcements counted 500 Circassian corpses at the battle site. 148 Cossacks were lowered into a mass grave at the Olginsky cordon. (Before the revolution, Tikhov’s commemorations were held annually on this grave on the second Sunday after Easter. Since 1991, by decision of the Kuban Rada, the ceremony has been restored).

Paying for the winter raids, the Black Sea people themselves went beyond the Kuban every summer under the command of the military ataman Fyodor Yakovlevich Bursak. He was the son of a priest, fled from the Kyiv Bursa to the Sich, fought with the Turks, took Ochakov and Izmail. He advanced to the Black Sea Army and in 1799 was appointed chieftain. Bursak ruled during the Pavlovian and Alexander reforms, but was neither a reformer nor an administrator. He remained a “father” and a Cossack warrior. And he always led the expeditions himself. (In 1816, when Bursak felt that he could no longer personally lead the Cossacks into battle, he voluntarily left his post). Beyond the Kuban they climbed one of the tributaries - Afipsu, Pshish, Psekups, Supu, ravaged villages, stole livestock, if they met resistance - there was no mercy.

It was especially difficult in the Caucasus in 1812. The troops were withdrawn, many of the best officers and generals were transferred to the main army, and several regiments of the Black Sea Cossacks also left. Taking advantage of this, the Persians again went on the offensive. In Georgia, Tsarevich Alexander raised another rebellion, pushing the Lezgins, Khevsurs, and Chechens to war. Only by exerting all our strength and mass heroism did our troops manage to fight back. General P.S. Kotlyarevsky, having only 2,200 bayonets and sabers, with desperate hand-to-hand attacks completely defeated the 30,000-strong Iranian army of Abbas-Mirza on the Araks. Lankaran was taken by storm. And the defeat of Napoleon deprived the Persians of hope for his help. In 1813, the Treaty of Gulistan was concluded with them, according to which Karabakh and the territory of present-day Azerbaijan were transferred to Russia. In the same year, Cossacks and regular units defeated large contingents of Circassians and Nogais in the battle of Nevinnomysskaya and in the two-day battle on the river. Labe.

After the victory over the French things became easier. Additional forces were sent to the Caucasus. By 1816 there were 2 infantry divisions and 1 brigade, 3 grenadier and 1 cavalry regiments, 10 Don regiments and 3 Astrakhan Cossack regiments. Plus the Black Sea people, the Linear people, the Tertsy people. And Alexey Petrovich Ermolov became the commander-in-chief. Student of Suvorov, participant in almost all the main battles in the wars with Napoleon, in 1812 chief of staff of Kutuzov. Being a talented commander, organizer and statesman, he immediately correctly assessed the situation: “The Caucasus is a huge fortress, defended by a garrison of half a million. We must either storm it or take possession of the trenches. The assault will be expensive. So let’s wage a siege.” His guidelines were the strictest: “I can’t stand unrest, and what’s more, I don’t like the fact that even the most rascals, such as the local mountain peoples, dare to resist the authority of the sovereign.” He established two main principles. The first is the inevitability of retribution for any hostile action. The second is not to take a new step forward without preparing it, without consolidating the previous step. And it was necessary to consolidate with fortresses and laying roads.

Ermolov singled out Chechnya as the most dangerous source of tension, which he called “the nest of all robbers.” In 1817, the construction of the Sunzhenskaya line south of the Terek began in order to cover the Terek settlements and push the Chechens out of the valleys into the mountains. The Pregradny Stan fortification was built in the upper reaches of the Sunzha; in 1818, Ermolov’s troops undertook a campaign in the Khankala tract, establishing the Grozny fortress. Behind her appeared Vnezapnaya and on the shores of the Caspian Sea - Burnaya. The fortresses controlled the adjacent regions of Chechnya and Dagestan; forest clearings were cut between them and outposts were set up. The mountaineers resisted and attacked work teams and convoys. Skirmishes often escalated into big battles. However, they dealt with it. Moreover, Russian losses were small - there were few troops in the Caucasus, but they were selected, professional fighters.

Very special traditions have developed in the Ermolovsky building. Without corporal punishment, instead of stepping, they taught shooting and hand-to-hand combat. The initiative of each soldier was encouraged and developed. He was a jack of all trades - a builder's and woodcutter's ax, a shovel, and a pick were also weapons here. Even the uniform was special. Back in 1804, General Likhachev introduced clothes for his “green rangers” in the likeness of the Cossacks: hats instead of shakos, spacious jackets and trousers, canvas bags instead of satchels. Ermolov extended this experience to the entire corps. But at first he underestimated the local Cossacks. From previous wars, the general knew only the Donets, but here he met some ragamuffins who had no idea about army procedures. But a little time passed, and the general was shocked by the fighting qualities of the Cossacks of the Caucasian line, he wrote that they had no equal.

By the way, in 1816, uniforms were invented for the Black Sea Army: shakos, tight jackets and trousers made of blue cloth with all sorts of decorative “bells and whistles” like false sleeves. Samples were sent from St. Petersburg. Tailors from the regiments were called to Yekaterinodar, ataman G.K. Matveev ordered the Cossacks to equip themselves by August 1817. But in the Kuban this uniform did not take root at all. Sewing it was expensive, about 100 rubles. (price of 2-3 horses), privates and even officers found it unaffordable. Excuses were sent to the Military Chancellery. The deadline was postponed to January 1818. Then it was postponed again. Orders to “strongly force the Cossacks” to sew uniforms went to kuren atamans, regiment commanders, and the police. It was even necessary to “sell sellers no more than 5 rubles worth of drink” so that the Cossacks would save on uniforms. Cloth was purchased centrally. But no, nothing helped. According to reports, 30-50 people in the regiments were equipped with uniforms, and even those not completely, some sewed a jacket, some wore trousers. And they didn’t follow the standards. They did it to make it more convenient. As a result, even in 1830, for the meeting of noble persons, 20 Cossacks in uniform from each regiment were collected, and if the regiment as a whole did not have 20 uniformed, then at least decently dressed.

But the Lineians and Terets are accustomed to wearing Circassian coats. And since 1824 it was officially allowed to wear them for service. Among the linemen, Ermolov abolished the pikes, which were useless in mountain warfare, and introduced the same weapons that the mountaineers wore - long rifles instead of carbines, light sabers instead of cavalry sabers. The Black Sea people also began to adopt these clothes and weapons. And on the Don at that time, many Cossacks preferred to wear Circassian coats. The Cossack cap is also of Caucasian origin. In the army of that time, caps were only allowed to be worn outside formation. But in the Caucasian Corps they were also worn in service. And the Cossacks liked the caps; they, unlike shakos, were willing to sew them. Ermolov also carried out some reforms of the Cossack organization. The last Cossack Army in Russia that retained full internal self-government was Grebenskoe. In 1819, Ermolov pointed out the low authority of the elected authorities, quarrels and disorder in circles. He abolished the elective positions of military ataman, esaul, flag bearer and clerk, abolished the military circles themselves and gave the Combs a regimental structure - the same as the Mozdok, Khopersky and other regiments of the line. Captain E.P. was appointed the first commander of the Grebensky regiment. Efimovich.

Ermolov’s predecessors tried to play “diplomacy” - by persuasion they persuaded the mountain princes and elders to submit. They took the oath, received officer and general ranks, and a large salary. But when the opportunity presented itself, they robbed and slaughtered the Russians, and then swore allegiance again, and they were again given ranks and salaries. Ermolov stopped this harmful practice. Those who violated the oath began to be “exalted” in a different way - by hanging. The villages from which the attacks came were subject to punitive raids “as a warning to other peoples, on whom only examples of horror are convenient to impose curbs.” They acted coolly and efficiently. When the village offered resistance, the guns were brought 50 paces away and opened fire: try to resist. After which houses were burned, livestock was taken away - most of it was stolen from the Russians anyway. If the “non-peaceful” village agreed to make peace, they no longer took their word for it and took the amanats. And if the attacks resumed, they were immediately sent to Siberia or executed. Well, from the “peaceful” highlanders, Ermolov formed detachments of the Chechen, Dagestan, and Kabardian militia. If you are a subject of Russia, then fight on its side.

Ermolov began to populate the lands along new lines and fortifications with Cossacks, and for this he strengthened and multiplied them. It was allowed to enroll everyone who wanted to become a Cossack. Many old soldiers expressed a desire to settle in the Caucasus. Where were they supposed to go after 25 years of service? Return to the village where they were forgotten? Back to serfdom? Ermolov encouraged the desire to stay, and ordered several thousand widows with children and girls from Russia to marry soldiers. They started farms and “ended up.”

Ermolov also attracted excellent military leaders to the Caucasus. His closest assistants were I.A. Velyaminov 1st and his brother, chief of staff of the corps A.A. Velyaminov 3rd. It was they who planned to dismember the “fortress” of the Caucasus and its “garrison” into parts using fortified lines. In addition to the Sunzhenskaya line, a branch of the Kubanskaya line began to be built - from Nevinnomysskaya to Batalpashinskaya. General V.G. Madatov, who was called “the most cunning of the brave,” with units of Cossacks, regular troops and the militia of Shamkhal Tarkovsky in 1818-1820. subdued the Tabasarans, Lezgins, and Kaitags in Dagestan, having made a rapid transition through the mountains, he finally defeated the Kazikumukh Surkhai Khan. A new road to Transcaucasia began to be built through Dagestan. Troops of the first commandant of the Grozny fortress N.V. Grekov and Don General Sysoev inflicted sensitive blows on the Chechens. After the assault, the village of Dadan-Yurt was wiped off the face of the earth. Ermolov ordered the destruction of the raider bases of Isti-Su, Noen-Berdy, and Allayar-aul.

And Maxim Grigorievich Vlasov 3rd became the head of the Black Sea line. He was from simple Don Cossacks, a graduate of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In 1794 in Poland, when he first went to war, in a year he passed through all ranks from private to captain. During the Patriotic War he fought under the command of Platov, was a partisan, and made a foreign campaign in Chernyshev’s detachment, ending the war as a major general, holder of the Order of St. George IV and III degrees. In Kuban, he reorganized the service depending on the danger in a particular area, thereby protecting the civilian population. And in 1821, when large crowds of Circassians invaded the right bank, Vlasov managed to bypass, surround them and inflicted a terrible defeat - he pressed them to the Kalaussky estuary and drove them into the swamp, shooting from cannons. The mountaineers got stuck, drowned in the swamp, died under Cossack bullets, under volleys of grapeshot.

By the mid-1820s, the situation in the Caucasus seemed to have stabilized. But the peace was fragile. A new phenomenon arose among the mountaineers - “muridism”. The preacher Kazi-Muhammad appeared and called for ghazavat, “holy war.” And if previously “non-peaceful” clans and villages were disunited, which made it easier to defeat them, now a common center of organization arose. It flared throughout Chechnya and spread to Kabarda. The Circassians became active again. The garrisons of posts and farms died in desperate battles. Retaliatory strikes were not long in coming. Velyaminov 3rd undertook campaigns along the Laba and Belaya in 1825. He destroyed the villages of the rebels and founded the advanced fortification of Maikop.

In Chechnya, Yermolov himself was in charge; the raiders’ bases in Atagi, Chakhkeri, Shali, Gekhi, Daud-Martan, Urus-Martan, and Roshni-Chu were taken and destroyed. The rebels agreed to negotiate. But on July 16, 1825, when the commander of the line troops Lisanevich, the commandant of Grozny Grekov and 318 mountain elders gathered in Gerzel-aul, during the meeting a fanatic rushed with a dagger and killed both generals. Seeing this, the soldiers became enraged, rushed with bayonets and killed the elders, although many of them were supporters of peace. And the rebellion flared up with renewed vigor. Only in the winter and spring of 1826 did Ermolov manage to suppress it, defeating Kazi-Muhammad near Chakhkeri and destroying a number of villages.

But... even in those days the “advanced public” took the side of the enemies of their people. Cosmopolitan ladies and gentlemen of the capital read in English and French newspapers about “Russian atrocities in the Caucasus.” These ladies and gentlemen were never threatened by a Circassian or Chechen raid, it was not their children who were driven into slavery, it was not their parents whose throats were cut. And “public opinion” raised an indignant howl. When Pushkin sang Ermolov, P. A. Vyazemsky wrote to him: “Ermolov! What's good? That he, like a black plague, destroyed and destroyed tribes? Such fame makes your blood run cold and your hair stand on end. If we enlightened the tribes, there would be something to sing about. Poetry is not the ally of executioners...” A similar “society” influenced the tsar. The uprising of the Decembrists, who for some reason counted on the general’s sympathy (which was never the case), also played against Yermolov. And when he publicly hanged one of the leaders of the Chechen rebellion, he received a severe reprimand from St. Petersburg and was soon replaced by General I.F. Paskevich. The Velyaminov brothers and Madatov were recalled from the Caucasus, and Vlasov 3rd was put on trial for “excessive cruelty” in campaigns against the Circassians. The new administration received instructions to “educate” the highlanders and return to soft measures.

From the book "Cossacks: Saviors of Russia" by Valery Shambarov

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Prisoner of the Caucasus. Epilogue: “Humble yourselves, Caucasus: Ermolov is coming!”

...And I will sing of that glorious hour,
When, sensing a bloody battle,
To the indignant Caucasus
Our double-headed eagle has risen;
When on the gray Terek
For the first time the thunder of battle struck
And the roar of Russian drums,
And in the battle, with an insolent brow,
The ardent Tsitsianov appeared;
I will sing your praises, hero,
O Kotlyarevsky, scourge of the Caucasus!
Wherever you rushed like a thunderstorm -
Your move is like a black infection,
He destroyed and destroyed tribes...
Today you left the saber of vengeance,
You are not happy about war;
Bored by the world, in the wounds of honor,
You taste the idle peace
And the silence of the home...
But behold, the East raises a howl!..
Drop your snowy head,
Humble yourself, Caucasus: Ermolov is coming!

And the ardent cry of war fell silent:
Everything is subject to the Russian sword.
Proud sons of the Caucasus,
You fought and died terribly;
But our blood did not save you,
Nor enchanted armor,
Neither mountains nor dashing horses,
No wild liberty love!
Like the Batu tribe,
The Caucasus will betray its great-grandfathers,
The voice of greedy warfare will forget,
Will leave fighting arrows.
To the gorges where you nested,
The traveler will approach without fear,
And they will announce your execution
Legends are dark rumors.

O young leader, completing campaigns,
You passed with the army of the Caucasus,
I saw the horrors, the beauties of nature:
Like pouring from the ribs of those terrible mountains,
Angry rivers roar into the darkness of the abysses;
How to kill them with the roar of snow
They will fall, lying down for centuries;
Like chamois, with their horns bowed down,
They see calmly beneath them in the darkness
The birth of lightning and thunder...

The gaze of visitors is involuntarily drawn to the portrait of a rather young general with a decisive and strong-willed face. You understand that the artist depicted him at one of the decisive moments of the military battle. This is a portrait of a famous general, a people's favorite, a man with an extraordinary destiny and character, Alexei Petrovich Ermolov. Russian history knows him as a talented military leader, a brave warrior, a devoted citizen of his Fatherland, a respected nobleman who despises idolatry and is principled in serving his sovereign-emperor. The entire life path of Alexei Petrovich is an example to follow of a true patriot of Russia.

Brief biography of General Ermolov

Ermolov was born in 1777 into a family of poor nobles of the Oryol province. His father honestly served Empress Catherine II, and under Paul I retired and settled on a small family estate. The mother was related to the Davydovs, Potemkins, Raevskys, and Orlovs. However, as Ermolov himself wrote in his memoirs, “The ringing of names was not complemented by the ringing of coins.” He regretted that he could not receive a more worthy education due to lack of funds. A serf taught him literacy using the ABC book, and then the boy was sent to Moscow, to the Noble boarding school at the university. In the age of Catherine, youths grew up quickly, and at the age of 14 Alexey received the rank of guards lieutenant. Capital life turned out to be too expensive for him, and he asked to join the active army.

As part of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, with the rank of captain, he ends up in Moldova when the Turkish campaign has already ended. But the Polish uprising broke out, and it was there that Ermolov received his baptism of fire under the leadership. From the hands of the famous commander he received his first award - the Order of St. George. By the end of their military service there will be countless of them.

Ups and downs

In 1798, a young officer, distinguished not only by his courage, but also by the straightforwardness of his judgments, was, following a denunciation, first placed under arrest in the fortress, and later in exile in the Kostroma province. An energetic man, Ermolov did not waste time - he learned to play the clarinet and studied Latin. The ascendant to the throne returns Yermolov to military service, and he participates in the military campaigns of 1805-1807. He spent the Patriotic War of 1812 as the chief of staff under the commander-in-chief, which did not prevent him from often finding himself in the thick of hostilities. During the Battle of Borodino, he took direct command and recaptured the famous Raevsky battery from the French.

In 1813, the Imperial Guard was concentrated under his command, which showed itself heroically during the foreign campaign of the Russian army. Always with a saber, ready to rush into battle at any moment, Ermolov and his fellows fought at Kulm, Dresden, heroically fought at Leipzig, took. As the most educated among the generals, the emperor entrusted Alexei Petrovich with writing the Manifesto on the capture of Paris. In 1815, after the end of the war and having lost patience with the ingratitude of his superiors, Ermolov took a vacation and left for the family estate.

General Ermolov - conqueror of the Caucasus

The 40-year-old general dreams of improving his health using mineral waters, but he ended up in the Caucasus not as an idle holidaymaker, but as a military and administrative governor. The Russian emperor did not want to see the obstinate general as minister of war, but sent him to the Caucasus to pacify and improve, to bring this rebellious multinational citadel to civilization. Alexey Petrovich, as always, justified the hopes of statesmen. Pushkin very succinctly and aptly characterized Ermolov’s activities in the Caucasus: Lower your snowy head, Humble yourself, Caucasus, Ermolov is coming.

He approached the conquest of the Caucasus, which was a solid fortress defended by a garrison of half a million people, with a strategy of “slow haste.” Both some of the general’s contemporaries, and our contemporaries, considered his measures to be unnecessarily cruel. The general answered his critics in his memoirs that it was impossible “The cruelty of local morals can be tamed with kindness.” Sword and fire, cunning and diplomacy - he used all methods to achieve his goal. He pacified Imereti, Guria, and Mingrelia. Annexed Abkhazia, Karabakh and Shirvan khanates to Russia. Not forgiving raids and robberies, he surrounded the mountainous areas with a ring of fortifications. Systematically conquering Chechnya and Dagestan, he destroyed villages, but at the same time founded new settlements and fortresses - Burnaya, Groznaya, Vnezapnaya, Nalchik. Some turned into ruins over time, while others became modern, thriving cities. How much he accomplished in the Caucasus in just 10 years, another would not have accomplished in a hundred.

Achievements of Ermolov in the Caucasus

Significantly improved the Georgian Military Road. Rebuilt the resorts of Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk. He rebuilt Tiflis, turning it into a modern city with European architecture. He looked for talented local youth and sent them to study in Russia. And many many others. Ermolov is an example of a true, worthy citizen of his Fatherland. He died and was buried in Moscow in 1861.

(1777-1861) Russian commander

In 1812, the Russian army defeated the French Emperor Napoleon, who brought virtually all of Europe under his bayonets. Among the Russian commanders who brought victory to Russia, the name of General Ermolov must be mentioned.

This man enjoyed well-deserved respect and love in the most diverse strata of Russian society. It is no coincidence that A.S. Pushkin wrote to him: “...Your glory belongs to Russia, and you have no right to hide it...” The great poet convinced the general to write notes about the wars in which he participated, offered to be their publisher and expressed a desire to “be his historian.”

Alexey Petrovich Ermolov was born in Moscow. His father, Pyotr Alekseevich, belonged to a poor but ancient noble family from the Oryol province. Contemporaries called him “a wonderful old man, smart and stern.” From his father, Alexey inherited a “serious, business-like mind,” and from his mother, Maria Denisovna, née Davydova, “a lively wit and a caustic tongue” - qualities that gave him great fame and at the same time caused a lot of harm.

The customs of that time allowed the children of nobles to enroll in military service almost from the cradle. At the age of 15-17 they were already considered officers. In January 1787, Alexey Petrovich Ermolov was registered as a non-commissioned officer of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment and the following year he was promoted to sergeant, and in 1791, already having the rank of lieutenant of the guard, he came to St. Petersburg. However, he did not want to serve in the guard; he couldn’t afford it.

In those days, all nobles had to serve as officers in the army for at least some time; failure to do so was considered indecent. Even representatives of noble and wealthy families served in the army as officers “out of honor.” At the same time, they had to support themselves, and service in the guard and some cavalry regiments required much greater expenses than the officer's salary allowed.

Alexey Ermolov really wanted to take part in the Russian-Turkish war, which lasted from 1787 to 1791. In 1791, already with the rank of captain, since upon transfer to the army the officer received the next rank, Ermolov transferred to the 44th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, which was stationed in Moldova. But by the time he arrived at the regiment, the war had already ended. Nevertheless, Ermolov still made the right decision: here he became acquainted with artillery, which determined his future fate. From then on, all his thoughts were focused only on artillery. This branch of the military was in a special position in the Russian army - in Peter’s Table of Ranks, artillery ranks were listed as a separate column.

Having brilliantly passed the exam required at that time for transfer to artillery, Alexey Petrovich Ermolov was “renamed” artillery captain in August 1793. At the same time, he met Captain A.A. Arakcheev, who served as commander of the “artillery team” of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich in Gatchina. Their relationship was already difficult then, and later this man did a lot of bad things to Ermolov. But this is all in the future.

During the war with Poland on October 19, 1794, being in the vanguard, Ermolov received a military award, which he was always proud of: for excellence in the assault, the 17-year-old captain, on the recommendation of A.V. Suvorov himself, was awarded the Order of George, 4th degree. This purely military order was established under Catherine II in 1769 and stood apart among all Russian regalia. He also had his own motto - “For service and courage,” and it was awarded only to officers and only for outstanding military exploits. That is why it was considered the most honorable award in Russia.

Upon returning to St. Petersburg, Alexander Ermolov was appointed to accompany the official F. Wurst, who was going to Italy on diplomatic and financial affairs. During Wurst's stay in Genoa, Ermolov managed to travel around almost all of Italy, visiting all its major cities. He studied monuments of art and antiquity, collected a collection of engravings and bought books, laying the foundation for his library, which later became one of the best in Russia.

In Italy, Ermolov heard about the impending campaign against Persia, immediately returned to St. Petersburg, where he was assigned to Zubov’s corps, and arrived in Kizlyar. For his participation in the siege of Derbent, the young officer was awarded the Order of Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow.

In February 1798, Alexey Petrovich Ermolov was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. By this time, the young officer - he was 22 years old - had acquired a reputation as a knowledgeable and brave artilleryman. Everything promised him a brilliant military career. However, at the end of 1798, an event occurred that had a serious impact on his military fate.

In the second half of the 90s of the 18th century, under the influence of the activities of Radishchev, Novikov, as well as the advanced part of the Russian officers, a political officer circle was organized in the Smolensk province. It included local officers and officials who were dissatisfied with the transformations of Emperor Paul I, who introduced Prussian orders in the Russian army, which is why everyone’s beloved commander A.V. Suvorov fell into disgrace. This circle was headed by Suvorov’s former adjutant, retired colonel A.M. Kakhovsky and A.P. Ermolov. The circle members spoke out for universal equality, opposed the class system and sharply criticized the church worldview. They campaigned among soldiers, including in the Moscow Grenadier Regiment, stationed in the Smolensk province, and distributed anti-government poems and sayings.

In November 1798 the circle was opened. During the investigation, it turned out that the members of the circle, like the Decembrists later, planned, along with other political actions, the change of the tsar. Deprived of ranks, titles and nobility, A.M. Kakhovsky was forever imprisoned in a fortress, and his estate was sold at public auction. Ermolov was also brought to justice. On November 28, 1798, he was arrested.

In St. Petersburg he was interrogated by the Secret Expedition, but he denied his guilt and any involvement in this case. Nevertheless, it was placed in the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Paul I ordered Ermolov to be dismissed from service and sent to permanent settlement in Kostroma.

Here Alexey Petrovich Ermolov rented housing from an elderly woman, whom he helped with housework, and the rest of the time he was engaged in self-education. He thoroughly studied the Latin language and freely read in the original the works of Roman authors Julius Caesar, Titus Livy, Tacitus, who became his favorite writer. Ermolov also learned to play the clarinet in order to somehow diversify his leisure time.

His fate changed after Alexander I came to power. He returned to St. Petersburg and was restored to his rank of lieutenant colonel. He even managed to get a company of horse artillery under his command. True, the service was hampered by the fact that the artillery inspector was Arakcheev, Ermolov’s longtime enemy.

One day Arakcheev ordered Yermolov’s company to conduct a review. The soldiers showed such excellent training that there was nothing to complain about. Moreover, before this the company made a difficult march, everyone was tired: both people and horses. And yet, Arakcheev noted to the commander that the reputation of officers in the artillery, including him, Ermolov, depended on the maintenance of horses. “It’s a pity,” Ermolov replied, “that in the Russian artillery the reputation of officers too often depends on brutes.” This phrase in countless variations then spread throughout Russia, but Arakcheev hated Ermolov even more and did not miss an opportunity to harm him. And at that time, Alexey Petrovich had already become a hero again.

In 1806, he took part in hostilities against France, for which he was awarded a gold sword with the inscription “For Bravery.” After some time, at the suggestion of P.I. Bagration, Alexey Petrovich Ermolov receives a high award - the Order of George, 3rd degree.

After the campaign of 1805 and especially 1806-1807, his name became very popular in Russian artillery. In 1807 he returned to Russia with a reputation as one of the first artillerymen in the Russian army. He was highly regarded by M.I. Kutuzov, M.A. Miloradovich, other Russian military leaders. On March 16, 1808, Alexey Petrovich Ermolov was promoted to major general.

Over the next two years, he served in Kyiv, where he served as city commandant. Before the start of the war with Napoleon, Ermolov became commander of the Guards Infantry Division, and with the outbreak of hostilities, the emperor appointed him chief of staff of the 1st Russian Army. In the Battle of Borodino, Ermolov actually served as chief of staff under Kutuzov. But this did not stop him from taking a personal part in the liberation of Raevsky’s battery, confusing all the cards for the French. Then Ermolov showed his best side in the battle of Maloyaroslavets.

Together with the Russian army, Alexey Ermolov also took part in the foreign campaign. On May 18, 1814, the Treaty of Paris was signed. The war, which lasted almost two years and glorified Russian weapons, ended. Alexander I instructed Admiral A.S. Shishkov to draw up a manifesto on concluding peace with France, and M.B. Barclay de Tolly - an appeal to the Russian troops. However, the tsar did not like these documents, and he instructed Ermolov to rewrite them, which he did. In his draft order, when addressing the troops, the word “comrades” was used for the first time, which Alexander I replaced with the word “warriors.”

Upon returning from Paris, Lieutenant General Alexei Petrovich Ermolov was appointed commander of the Caucasian Corps. He arrived in Tiflis and began his long service in the Caucasus. Ermolov repeatedly traveled to Persia, where he conducted important negotiations, and for the successful fulfillment of the diplomatic mission entrusted to him, on February 8, 1818, he was promoted to infantry general. Since 1821, he was appointed to the high post of governor-in-chief of Georgia.

Thanks to his personal charm and enormous authority, Ermolov was able to unite around him in the Caucasus the leading people of his time, who formed a close circle of like-minded people and friends. Perhaps fearing Ermolov's new political actions, in 1827 he was forced to ask for his resignation. He did not resist and wrote a petition. Having received the consent of Emperor Nicholas I, Alexey Petrovich Ermolov left the Caucasus forever and went to his father’s homeland, Orel. By decree of November 25, 1827, he was finally dismissed from service “for domestic reasons with a uniform and a full salary pension.”

Dressed in civilian dress, which was unusual for him, Ermolov did not easily tolerate his retirement from business, although he did not admit it even to his closest friends. In Orel he was visited by A.S. Pushkin, who later wrote: “Ermolov received me with his usual courtesy. At first glance, I did not find in him the slightest resemblance to his portraits, usually painted in profile. Round face, fiery gray eyes, gray hair standing on end. The head of a tiger on the torso of Hercules. A smile is unpleasant because it is unnatural. When he thinks and frowns, he becomes beautiful... He, apparently, impatiently endures his inaction... The conversation touched on literature several times... There was not a word about government and politics.”

The meeting with the poet made a strong impression on Ermolov. “I had Pushkin,” he wrote to Denis Davydov. “I saw him for the first time and, as you can imagine, I looked at him with lively curiosity.” The first time they meet is not short, but what a power of high talent! I found in myself a feeling other than involuntary respect...”

Meanwhile, economic affairs caused Ermolov so much trouble that in 1831 he left Orel for Moscow, where he bought a modest wooden house on Gogolevsky Boulevard and acquired the small village of Osorgino near Moscow, where he spent the summer. In Moscow, Ermolov enjoyed special honor and respect. The charm of his personality and past achievements was so strong that when he appeared in society, dressed in a black tailcoat with the St. George Cross in his buttonhole, received “by appointment of Suvorov himself,” everyone, even the ladies, stood up. No one else had ever experienced such an honor.

In 1831, the tsar nevertheless returned Ermolov to service, and for a long time he convinced him through his proxies. Ermolov finally agreed and was appointed a member of the State Council. However, very soon he became convinced of the inaction of this body and subsequently regretted the step he had taken, moreover, he realized that he had let himself be deceived and had lost a lot in public opinion. In 1839, he left St. Petersburg and no longer took any part in Council meetings.

On May 30, 1853, a joyful event occurred in the life and biography of Alexei Petrovich Ermolov: the Council of Moscow University “in respect of excellent services for the benefit of our Fatherland” elected him an honorary member.

Ermolov’s name was also on everyone’s lips because of his inherent wit. So, one day he was asked about one general, what he was like in battle. “Shy,” answered Ermolov.

Two years later, the general fell seriously ill for the first time in his life. At that time he was already 78 years old. From then on, his health deteriorated more and more, and from March 1861 he could no longer sit in a chair and finally went to bed. On April 11, 1861, the great Russian commander died. The coffin with his body was transported to Oryol, where it was buried at the Trinity Cemetery next to his father’s grave. In 1864, under public pressure, the ashes of Ermolov and his father were transferred to the side of the church.